At about 6:00 tonight, Emily Murphy, the Trump appointee at the head of General Services Administration who has been holding up the transition to a Biden administration, notified President-Elect Joe Biden that she recognizes his status and will release the money set aside for the transition. This should launch the formal transition process between administrations, as Biden’s people meet with Trump’s people to learn about the issues over which they will be assuming control on January 20, 2021.
I am relieved. I promised myself I would keep my Biden-Harris lawn sign up until Michigan certified and/or the GSA authorized the transition. Today, I get to retire it. (But I’m keeping it as a memento of an historic time.) I keep returning, though, to the 70+ million of my fellow Americans who voted for Donald Trump. It sure looks like Trump, McConnell and McCarthy believe that Trump or a hand-picked Trumpist will be running in 2024. Maybe, just maybe, the ambitions of those Republicans who are done with Trumpism and maybe even the Southern Strategy, will find a way to challenge them successfully this time. But I remain concerned and watchful and am so grateful for these Letters and for my fellow readers.
"Marinate." I love that. Overall, it feels like a fever has broken.
As WAPO analysed, Sidney Powell including Kemp into her conspiracies might have nudged her out of the spotlight she had just days before shared with Giuliani.
Usually after a political illness such as we have just endured, a little rest and we will begin to heal, but as the professor hints, we must remain vigilant or we could easily relapse into another bout.
Rest up, people. It ain't over, but our prognosis is improving.
Good post, as always! We must be as cautious about the 45 virus as the C19 one. Yes, there is hope on the horizon, but we have to continue to take preventative and precautionary measures until the vaccine is fully rolled out, and even then caution is advisable, as the virus can return. The 45 virus is every bit as deadly and insidious. Many people are asymptomatic, and do not show flag rash or gun fever. Protect yourselves, keep safe distancing. Above all, stay healthy!
I don’t know if anyone watches MSNBC but Lawrence O’Donnell has been calling out Emily Murphy for 15 days. She and everyone needs to be exposed like this, constantly. She held our country hostage, at the direct instruction of her crazier-by-the-minute boss.
Reagan upended things when he took welfare benefits away from those who needed them. Between the VA denial of Vietnam vets having PTSD and becoming part of the homeless population and Reagan’s mean-spirited move to make the unfortunate poorer, Republicans sure made their mark. Dems have been too apologetic, too nice. Time to take our House back!
Last evening, during the local news word of the capitulation of GSA came over the airwaves. Then details on the national news cemented it in place, and a calm washed over my mind. I breathed. And the announcement of a third potent vaccine was like icing on the cake.The promise of a peaceful transition of government, and another gift from science to help with the scourge of Covid.
Tempering that calm is the news of massive travel by citizens to celebrate TG. There is little doubt that the new administration will now face the prospect of several hundreds of thousands of new cases of Covid daily. All hospital systems in the country overwhelmed. Many deaths. Unthinkable.
This is Tuesday morning. Tell everyone you know to stop in place. Cancel all travel plans. Celebrate with only your daily family. Listen to what the new task force asks of citizens and resolve to do your part. These next weeks and months are going to be difficult.
Hopefully Uncle Joe has figured out that the "go along to get along" Senate no longer exists and that Republicans aren't "opponents." They're The Enemy. And unlike Obama in 2009, I hope he understands that "The REAL fight starts AFTER you win."
In the meantime, we can all be pretty damned proud of ourselves. I've been playing this all evening:
To Ms Richardson: your nightly letter, sometimes written after midnight (!), has been a salve for the persistent 'trump rash' of this past year. I have simply felt better, opening your letter, and seeing comments from names I have come to recognize. I so admire your consistent (daily!!) effort. Thank you! Indeed, we can now turn the page on a dark moment in our history. But, as has been stated by others in various ways, I would like to say we still have a dark stain on our collective psyche, as American citizens living through divisions in our families, communities and society.
You’ve addressed the Southern Strategy over the past months, and I feel that we Democrats must acknowledge our failure to meet the needs of working class, white America. I’m sorry to say, but ‘Professor Obama’ never spoke to the class strife in America. And I am loathe to realize that powerful authoritarian interests preyed upon economically disadvantaged people (with ‘prayers’ to their Jesus).
So, it is with great hope that I bring the following link to our discussion, from yesterday’s Washington Post. My hometown mayor, of Pittsburgh, has penned an editorial with co-signatures of seven other Ohio River Valley (ORV) mayors, stretching along the banks of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Louisville, KY.
THIS editorial is a translation for the residents of the ORV, of the flowery and visionary rhetoric of two of my favorite political figures, Bernie and AOL. But I must admit, having spent 35 years in Pittsburgh, a city I dearly LOVE, that these mayors speak the language of these working class neighborhoods. We don’t need to speak of a ‘revolution’ and ‘Democratic Socialism’ to advocate for an economy which works for everybody.
Perhaps, the mayors’ plan will suffice: “We need a Marhshall Plan for Middle America"
The influence of talk radio is underrated. When the AM stations began to proliferate in Florida, the author James Michener came out of retirement to sound the alarm about hate radio and it’s rising popularity .
Rush Limbaugh became #1 and a barely literate young Shaun Hannity got his start in the small town of Athens, Alabama.
AM radio stations were cheap and sprung up everywhere across the nation, spreading hate and distrust in our government. A favorite target was Earth Day, belittling environmentalists as tree huggers.
The news that the transition can finally begin is welcome, indeed. However, we must not forget that much still hangs in the balance with the upcoming GA runoff. If McConnell remains in power Biden’s ability to truly govern and to begin to repair the damage done under this regime will be hamstrung, at best. I am hearing too many comments along the lines that everything will be ok now. It won’t. Biden and Harris and their team face an uphill battle and you can be sure that there will be heckling from the sidelines and loyal opposition players who manage remain on the inside will do their absolute best to somehow throw the game. Sadly, I fear this will be our future going forward because with nearly half of the country voting to continue the cruelty and destruction of the past four years the problems run deeper into the heart of our nation than most of us would like to acknowledge. There will be no quick fix. We must prepare for and engage in what is likely to be a long and arduous process to keep democracy alive in America. I do not believe for a minute that trump has “bowed to reality”, as Heather put it. That simply is not their MO. He likely has something up his sleeve or in the background that he thinks will work to his advantage and needed these past 16 days to put it in place. But, as Heather also said, “we’ll see”.
Prof. Richardson, Your work on this newsletter has helped keep hope alive for me through these difficult, difficult times. Please keep it going. And, please take very good care of yourself. We all need your remarkable voice, and will continue to do so.
I read your work every day and listen to John Biewen's excellent podcast 'Scene on Radio'. In particular, his 2017 and 2018 works "Seeing White" and "Men".
We have a long way to go. Yet, both yourself and John Biewen lead with hope, clarity and confidence that the journey can be and must be grounded in the better angels of our history and our present.
Thank you for being an advocate of a brighter future.
It was a good day in Michigan, a sigh of relief, albeit temporary in view of the make-up of the legislature. Leadership makes all decisions and party members carry the water for them. If only all legislative candidates were required to pass a course in the history of politics before running for office, it might awaken a new independence of thinking. I sure wish they all subscribed to Letters From An American. Looking forward to tomorrow’s video. Thank you so much for bringing facts to the fore.
I agree with Patrick in that it feels like a fever has broken. Knowing the transition can start with funding and space now feels like we have turned a corner. I’m amazed at the relief I feel.
Are Trump supporters feeling the panic we felt under his “reign?” And if so, how do we change their minds?
I heard at least three people close to me, all liberal like I am, and white like I am, express a feeling of having their eyes and hearts opened to the plight of Black Americans in the wake of George Floyd’s death. I could tell by our conversations that the national discourse had shown them some things they hadn’t known before.
Perhaps some Trump supporters can have their minds and hearts opened.
Heather, thank you for another encouraging Letter and succinct summary of a complicated time in our history.
Even though we are moving towards some sanity and competence in our government... I am concerned that this nightmare will NOT be over after January 20, 2020. A significant group of the voters in the United States have locked into “alternative facts” being spread on platforms like Breitbart, The Daily Wire, and Parler. (To name a few) They truly believe all of this alternative information and conspiracy theories. I’m so discouraged that our new reality includes many folks who are out of touch with actual reality. Time will tell if these moderate Republicans will get onto a new “team of rivals” to bring our democracy back from the brink and hopefully stop this “mad king” from sabotaging our precious United States on his way out of the White House door.
Cue Kate Smith...”God Bless America, Land that I Love...🇺🇸❤️
The good news is that Trump's cabinet picks are getting strong support from the left/progressive wing of the party. Matt Yglesias notes that Janet Yellen is the first "economic triple crown winner" - Council of Economic Advisors, Fed, and now Treasury. "She outranks her husband, who only has a Nobel Prize in Economics." Putting the former Secretary of State who negotiated the Paris Treaty in as Environmental Envoy and putting that position inside the National Security Council definitely makes the point of where the environment and climate change rank with this administration. One hopes we aren't "10 days late and $100 short."
The takeaway from Biden’s ignoring the trump drama and keeping his eye on the ball, is a lesson I wish we’d all learn. Let’s stop looking at trump and the trumpsters and do the work at hand. What we focus on grows bigger. He knows that. We have work to do.
I'm still aghast at those who voted and continue to support the man currently in office. I'm sending $$ to the folks in Georgia and keeping my fingers crossed for the strength in Stacy Abrams and her team for her good work. May Biden pick up a senate who will work with him. Thank you Heather for your wonderful analysis and for the enlightenment you've provided to those of us who dislike politics. I still dislike it, but it's very interesting to learn our history.
I am relieved. I promised myself I would keep my Biden-Harris lawn sign up until Michigan certified and/or the GSA authorized the transition. Today, I get to retire it. (But I’m keeping it as a memento of an historic time.) I keep returning, though, to the 70+ million of my fellow Americans who voted for Donald Trump. It sure looks like Trump, McConnell and McCarthy believe that Trump or a hand-picked Trumpist will be running in 2024. Maybe, just maybe, the ambitions of those Republicans who are done with Trumpism and maybe even the Southern Strategy, will find a way to challenge them successfully this time. But I remain concerned and watchful and am so grateful for these Letters and for my fellow readers.
"Marinate." I love that. Overall, it feels like a fever has broken.
As WAPO analysed, Sidney Powell including Kemp into her conspiracies might have nudged her out of the spotlight she had just days before shared with Giuliani.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/23/what-line-did-sidney-powell-cross-that-rudy-giuliani-didnt/?utm_campaign=wp_the_5_minute_fix&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_fix&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F2cfb6f7%2F5fbc38669d2fda0efb721cde%2F5bae55a6ade4e2323eaf0dc1%2F27%2F48%2F5fbc38669d2fda0efb721cde
Usually after a political illness such as we have just endured, a little rest and we will begin to heal, but as the professor hints, we must remain vigilant or we could easily relapse into another bout.
Rest up, people. It ain't over, but our prognosis is improving.
Good post, as always! We must be as cautious about the 45 virus as the C19 one. Yes, there is hope on the horizon, but we have to continue to take preventative and precautionary measures until the vaccine is fully rolled out, and even then caution is advisable, as the virus can return. The 45 virus is every bit as deadly and insidious. Many people are asymptomatic, and do not show flag rash or gun fever. Protect yourselves, keep safe distancing. Above all, stay healthy!
I don’t know if anyone watches MSNBC but Lawrence O’Donnell has been calling out Emily Murphy for 15 days. She and everyone needs to be exposed like this, constantly. She held our country hostage, at the direct instruction of her crazier-by-the-minute boss.
Reagan upended things when he took welfare benefits away from those who needed them. Between the VA denial of Vietnam vets having PTSD and becoming part of the homeless population and Reagan’s mean-spirited move to make the unfortunate poorer, Republicans sure made their mark. Dems have been too apologetic, too nice. Time to take our House back!
Last evening, during the local news word of the capitulation of GSA came over the airwaves. Then details on the national news cemented it in place, and a calm washed over my mind. I breathed. And the announcement of a third potent vaccine was like icing on the cake.The promise of a peaceful transition of government, and another gift from science to help with the scourge of Covid.
Tempering that calm is the news of massive travel by citizens to celebrate TG. There is little doubt that the new administration will now face the prospect of several hundreds of thousands of new cases of Covid daily. All hospital systems in the country overwhelmed. Many deaths. Unthinkable.
This is Tuesday morning. Tell everyone you know to stop in place. Cancel all travel plans. Celebrate with only your daily family. Listen to what the new task force asks of citizens and resolve to do your part. These next weeks and months are going to be difficult.
Hopefully Uncle Joe has figured out that the "go along to get along" Senate no longer exists and that Republicans aren't "opponents." They're The Enemy. And unlike Obama in 2009, I hope he understands that "The REAL fight starts AFTER you win."
In the meantime, we can all be pretty damned proud of ourselves. I've been playing this all evening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqsT4xnKZPg
To Ms Richardson: your nightly letter, sometimes written after midnight (!), has been a salve for the persistent 'trump rash' of this past year. I have simply felt better, opening your letter, and seeing comments from names I have come to recognize. I so admire your consistent (daily!!) effort. Thank you! Indeed, we can now turn the page on a dark moment in our history. But, as has been stated by others in various ways, I would like to say we still have a dark stain on our collective psyche, as American citizens living through divisions in our families, communities and society.
You’ve addressed the Southern Strategy over the past months, and I feel that we Democrats must acknowledge our failure to meet the needs of working class, white America. I’m sorry to say, but ‘Professor Obama’ never spoke to the class strife in America. And I am loathe to realize that powerful authoritarian interests preyed upon economically disadvantaged people (with ‘prayers’ to their Jesus).
So, it is with great hope that I bring the following link to our discussion, from yesterday’s Washington Post. My hometown mayor, of Pittsburgh, has penned an editorial with co-signatures of seven other Ohio River Valley (ORV) mayors, stretching along the banks of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Louisville, KY.
THIS editorial is a translation for the residents of the ORV, of the flowery and visionary rhetoric of two of my favorite political figures, Bernie and AOL. But I must admit, having spent 35 years in Pittsburgh, a city I dearly LOVE, that these mayors speak the language of these working class neighborhoods. We don’t need to speak of a ‘revolution’ and ‘Democratic Socialism’ to advocate for an economy which works for everybody.
Perhaps, the mayors’ plan will suffice: “We need a Marhshall Plan for Middle America"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/22/marshall-plan-middle-america-eight-mayors/
The influence of talk radio is underrated. When the AM stations began to proliferate in Florida, the author James Michener came out of retirement to sound the alarm about hate radio and it’s rising popularity .
Rush Limbaugh became #1 and a barely literate young Shaun Hannity got his start in the small town of Athens, Alabama.
AM radio stations were cheap and sprung up everywhere across the nation, spreading hate and distrust in our government. A favorite target was Earth Day, belittling environmentalists as tree huggers.
But their favorite target was Hillary Clinton....
The news that the transition can finally begin is welcome, indeed. However, we must not forget that much still hangs in the balance with the upcoming GA runoff. If McConnell remains in power Biden’s ability to truly govern and to begin to repair the damage done under this regime will be hamstrung, at best. I am hearing too many comments along the lines that everything will be ok now. It won’t. Biden and Harris and their team face an uphill battle and you can be sure that there will be heckling from the sidelines and loyal opposition players who manage remain on the inside will do their absolute best to somehow throw the game. Sadly, I fear this will be our future going forward because with nearly half of the country voting to continue the cruelty and destruction of the past four years the problems run deeper into the heart of our nation than most of us would like to acknowledge. There will be no quick fix. We must prepare for and engage in what is likely to be a long and arduous process to keep democracy alive in America. I do not believe for a minute that trump has “bowed to reality”, as Heather put it. That simply is not their MO. He likely has something up his sleeve or in the background that he thinks will work to his advantage and needed these past 16 days to put it in place. But, as Heather also said, “we’ll see”.
Prof. Richardson, Your work on this newsletter has helped keep hope alive for me through these difficult, difficult times. Please keep it going. And, please take very good care of yourself. We all need your remarkable voice, and will continue to do so.
I read your work every day and listen to John Biewen's excellent podcast 'Scene on Radio'. In particular, his 2017 and 2018 works "Seeing White" and "Men".
We have a long way to go. Yet, both yourself and John Biewen lead with hope, clarity and confidence that the journey can be and must be grounded in the better angels of our history and our present.
Thank you for being an advocate of a brighter future.
Blessings.
It was a good day in Michigan, a sigh of relief, albeit temporary in view of the make-up of the legislature. Leadership makes all decisions and party members carry the water for them. If only all legislative candidates were required to pass a course in the history of politics before running for office, it might awaken a new independence of thinking. I sure wish they all subscribed to Letters From An American. Looking forward to tomorrow’s video. Thank you so much for bringing facts to the fore.
I agree with Patrick in that it feels like a fever has broken. Knowing the transition can start with funding and space now feels like we have turned a corner. I’m amazed at the relief I feel.
Are Trump supporters feeling the panic we felt under his “reign?” And if so, how do we change their minds?
I heard at least three people close to me, all liberal like I am, and white like I am, express a feeling of having their eyes and hearts opened to the plight of Black Americans in the wake of George Floyd’s death. I could tell by our conversations that the national discourse had shown them some things they hadn’t known before.
Perhaps some Trump supporters can have their minds and hearts opened.
Heather, thank you for another encouraging Letter and succinct summary of a complicated time in our history.
Even though we are moving towards some sanity and competence in our government... I am concerned that this nightmare will NOT be over after January 20, 2020. A significant group of the voters in the United States have locked into “alternative facts” being spread on platforms like Breitbart, The Daily Wire, and Parler. (To name a few) They truly believe all of this alternative information and conspiracy theories. I’m so discouraged that our new reality includes many folks who are out of touch with actual reality. Time will tell if these moderate Republicans will get onto a new “team of rivals” to bring our democracy back from the brink and hopefully stop this “mad king” from sabotaging our precious United States on his way out of the White House door.
Cue Kate Smith...”God Bless America, Land that I Love...🇺🇸❤️
The good news is that Trump's cabinet picks are getting strong support from the left/progressive wing of the party. Matt Yglesias notes that Janet Yellen is the first "economic triple crown winner" - Council of Economic Advisors, Fed, and now Treasury. "She outranks her husband, who only has a Nobel Prize in Economics." Putting the former Secretary of State who negotiated the Paris Treaty in as Environmental Envoy and putting that position inside the National Security Council definitely makes the point of where the environment and climate change rank with this administration. One hopes we aren't "10 days late and $100 short."
The takeaway from Biden’s ignoring the trump drama and keeping his eye on the ball, is a lesson I wish we’d all learn. Let’s stop looking at trump and the trumpsters and do the work at hand. What we focus on grows bigger. He knows that. We have work to do.
I'm still aghast at those who voted and continue to support the man currently in office. I'm sending $$ to the folks in Georgia and keeping my fingers crossed for the strength in Stacy Abrams and her team for her good work. May Biden pick up a senate who will work with him. Thank you Heather for your wonderful analysis and for the enlightenment you've provided to those of us who dislike politics. I still dislike it, but it's very interesting to learn our history.